Thread-controlling mechanism for sewing-machines.



. w. M. AMMERMAN.

THREAD GONTBOLLIHG MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLIOATIOH FILED MAY 19, 1905. I 91 2,522. Patented Feb. 16, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTO/i' BY' QA HORNE) W. M. AMMERMAN. THREAD CONTROLLING MEGHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 191'1905.

Patented Feb. 16, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

v //v VENTOH BM A name) UNITED STATES PATENT curios- WILLIAM-M. AMMERMAN, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, 'lO ANNIE ELIZABETH AVERY, ADlillNISTRATRIX OF EDWIN I'I TOOF, DECEASED.

THREAD-CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, lVILLIAM M. Amaran- MAN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thread-Controlling Mechanism for Sewing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has particular reference to the thread-controlling mechanism of sewing machines as embodied 'in the tension and slack thread take-up devices, and has for its principal object to improve such mechanism both in construction and operation.

To this end, the invention consists in the novel features of constructiomand in the novel arrangement and combinations of parts, as hereinafter set forth in detail and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a front view of the forward end of a sewing machine arm embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an inner side view of the same looking from the right in F i 1. Fig. 3 is a detail view of a portion of the arm with the face-plate removed. Fig. 4 is a vertical section through line of Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section through line 5,.5 of Fig.

' 2. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section through line 6-6 of Fig. 2. Figs. 7 and 8 are side and edgeviews, respectively, of a tension spring. Figs. 9 and 10 are side and edge views, re-

spectively, of a tension disk or plate, and

. Figs. 11 and 12 are detail views to be hereinafter' referred to.

In said drawings, a indicates the sewing machine arm; a the removable face-plate at the forward end of said arm; 6. andc the presser and needle bars, respectively, supported in suitable bearings in l l the pivoted presser-bar lifter lever; e the main take-up supported and operative in a position atthe' front side of the armgand f and g the tension and auxiliary take-up devices, respectively, both located and operative at the inner side of the arm in 'a positionop-- posite the said removable face-plate thereof. Withthis particular arrangement ofthe tension and take up devices in aposition at the rear of theface-pIate, a smooth. and unobstructed surface of the latter is provided;

the line. of dra ft onthe thread between Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 19, 1905.

said arm (1 Fatented Feb. 15, 1909.

Serial No. 261,175;

of thread is drawn from the spool or other 7 thread supply by the main take-up which is sufficient for the proper formation of a stitch in very thick work, and, in the event of thinner work being operated upon, the slack produced by the diflerence between the amount drawn from the spool and the amount required for the stitch is taken up and controlled by an auxiliary take-up, in the form of a light'spring, operating between the tension and the main take-up.

1y describe the purpose of said-take-up,

Thethrow of this auxiliary take-up is OICllnarily regulated so as to take up and control the slack thread produced when very thin work is operated upon, and, as thicker work is operated upon, such auxiliary take-up heing in the form of a light spring will readily yield and give off the required amount of thread necessary for the stitch in the increased thickness of work. It is desirable, however, that the tension or elasticity of such spring take-up should be capable of ad,

justinent whereby the same may be caused to,

act more or less rapidly according to the:v

speed of the machine, and also fort-he purpose of acting with greater or less strain or tension upon the thread according to the character of the work, as 1t will be under-' stood that according to the tension with which the take-up acts oil-the thread, the stitch will be made more or less tight. A further and desirable adjustment to the spring takeup is one regulating its throw or extent ofmovement, as, if thick *work is being operated-upon, but very little throw ofthe take-up may be necessary and by reg: ulating theextent of such throw according to the thicknessofthe work being operated upon all unnecessary strain upon the thread is avoided. These adjustments of the-aux iliary spring take-up are provided for by the construction and arrangement of parts embodying my present invention to be hereinafter described.

The machine arm a is provided with an opening 2 extending through its rear wall 3 in a position opposite the face-plate a in which is located a spindle 4; having loosely mounted thereon a coiled spring 5,0ne end of which spring is extended radially thereo t'rom in a position at the outer side of the wall 3 to provide a'spring-arm which constitu tes thefauxiliary takeup, the said arm being provided at its outer end with a thread-receiving eye 6. As a means for detachably holding the spindle 4 with the supported take-up spring in connection with the machine arm, a plate or disk 7 is mounted on the said spindleat the outer side of the Wall -3 and engages at its face side with-a shoulder 8 on the spindle to hold the latter against longitudinal movement in one direction, while a second plate or disk 9 is located atthe inner side 01 the wall 3 and is connected with the inner end of the spindle by a screw 10, the said screw operating through the spindle t to firmly clamp the disks 7 and 9 against the opposite sides of the wall 3 and thereby hold the said several parts in sta- .tionary adjusted position with respect to 30 4 as thussupported may be held centrally the machine arm. in order thattlie spindle Within the opening 2 in the arm, a countersink.10' is formed at the inner end of said opening to closely receive the disk 9 and thereby position the connected spindle.

"As before referred to, it is desirable that v the tension of the spring. take-up in its action on the thread should be capable of adjustment and I provide for this in my present construction by connecting the inner end 5 of said takeup spring with the disk 9 at the inner end of the spindle 4, which said disk is rotatably adjustable within its countersink seat '10. In effecting such adjustment of the take-up spring through the medium of the saiddisk 9, the face-plate is first removed so as to expose said disk, as

shown in'Fig. 3, and the clamping screw 10 1 then loosened, after which the disk may be the spring into aradial slit or no ch 9 in the disk 9, as clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 6, and which said slit or notch also provides a means for engaging the disk at its face side by means of a screw-driver or other-suitable instrument for the purpose ofzadj usting thesame. 7

The plate or disk 7 mounted on the spindle 1' at the outer side of the wall 8- is formed with a cut-out portion 11 (see Fig. 9) on that side adjacent to saidwall'to receive the spring take-up arm and spring. operatingpin, and

is also provided with a laterally projecting flange or extension 12 in a position opposite the path of movement of the end of said take-up arm to serve as a guard therefor. This guard flange 12 of the disk 7 is formed with an open-ended slot 14 into which the thread is entered for threading engagement with the take-up, which latter is bent at its end to form a thread-receiving eyelet G having its lower edge or wall 16 extending diagonally'a cross the slot 14 of'the. guard-flange 12 and terminating at the opening 17 into which the thread. is entered into the eyelet in a position behind the guard-flange, as

clearly shown in Fig. 6. \Vith this construc-- tion and arrangement of the take-up and its said guard, a thread entered into the slot 14 of the guard will engage with the diagonal wall 16 of the take-up and be guided thereby into the eyelet, and the entering opening 17 of the latter being behind-the guard at one side ofthe slot 14 will avoid liability of the thread from becoming accidentally disconnected from the eyelet.

The tension device shown and described.

will be claimed in a separate application.

As a" means for controlling the extent of throw or movement of the auxiliary takeup in accordance with the thickness of work ferred to, thaw provided the presser-bar with an arm 20 fixedly attached thereto and having an extension 21 extending through a vertically arranged slot 22 in the wall 3 to a position in engagement with the auxiliary take-up at the under side thereof. as clearly shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5. With this connection between the presser-bar and the auxiliary take-up, the vertical movement of the presse'r-bar as controlled by the different thicknesses of work thereunder will accordingly automatically regulate the movement being operated upon, as hereinbefore reof the take-up. For instance, if thin work is being operated upon the presser-bar will we near itslowermost position and the auxiliary take-up will have substantially its maximum extent of movement to control the slack thread, but as thicker work is passed lI'ldQI the presser the latter with its arm 21 will be correspondingly raised and so operate o correspondingly limit the extent of the operative or downward throw of the take- ".13. In this manner the throw or movement f the auxiliary take-up will be automatically regulated from the presser-bar to accord with the amount of slack thread to be controlled. The arm' 21 may be connected Wltl] the pressersbar iniany suitable or desired manner, the same-1n the present case being mad-e as apart of the collar 23 which carries serve as a means to erates with the face of the disk 7 to impinge 1'6:

and tension the thread passed therebetween, the said plates being held in cot perative engagement by means of an adjusting-nut 26 threaded on the outerend of the spindle, and aeuitable spring, such as 27, interposed between the-said nut and the outer disk 25. This said tension spring 27, which constitutes a, feature of -my present invention, comprises a thin metallic plate having a j central aperture 28 to receive the spindle l and also having a plurality of spring arms 29 struck up therefrom at its outer edge, asmost clearly shown in Fig. 8. A desirable feature of this form of spring, in addition to .the features of cheapnes's and simplicity, is the fact that it occupies but little space between the tension disk and the adjustingnut and the'refore'avoids the necessity of a long spindle projecting from the side of the machine arm asis usual.

The outer tension disk is provided with an'arm 30 extending therefrom-at its upper side through an opening 31 in the wall 8 to a position to be engaged by a tension-releaser at the inner side of the said wall, the said tension-releaser in the present instance shown being in the-form of a plate 3:2 which is slidably mounted upon the inner side of the Wall 3 by means of a headed pin or screw 33 engaging the same through an elongated slot 34 therein, and which is also operatively con-. nected at one end with the presser-bar lifter lever by means of a pin 35 thereon entering a corresponding pivot opening in said lever. With this constructlon, a raising of the lever Z' to elevate the presser for the purpose of releasing the work will also operate the plate operating disk and thereby release the tension on the interposed thread.

In .threa ding the tension device, the thread is entered between the tension disks at a Y point in the rear of the tension-disk arm 30 I as'most clearly shown in Fig. 2, and I have therefore found it desirable to provide the "outer disk with an outwardly-flaring threa-d guiding extension. such as 37, adjacent to the point of entry .of the thread between the disks in order to better facilitate the entry of the thread.

What I claim'is: 1. In a sewing machine, the combination with the arm of the machine having an opening in its rear wall in a position opposite the removable face-plate of the arm, of a rotatably adjustable disk supported adjacent to said opening at the inner or that side of the wall adjacent tosaid face-plate and having means for adjusting the same, a coiled s'pring located in said opening with one end connected with said adjustable disk and its opposite end being radiallyextended relative to its coil in a position at the outer side of the wall to provide a spring take-up. and means for holding said disk in adjusted position.

2. In a sewing machine, the combination with a spr1ng take-up having an open thread- -receiv1ng eye, and a guard for said take-up located in the plane of the length of the take-up opposite its path of movement and,

having an open-ended thread-guide slot, the said take-up having a thread-engaging and guiding wall extending diagonally across the slot of the guard and terminating behind the latter at the opening of the take-up eye, forthe purpose set forth.

3. In a sewing machine, the combination with the arin of the machine, of a spindle supported by said arm, a coiled spring 'mounted on said spindle and having a radially extended end forming a spring take-up, and a plate mounted on said spindle having a cut-out portion to receive the take-up, and also having a lateral extension radially beyond the path of movement of the end of said take-up and constituting a guard for the latter.

4. In a sewing machine, the combination with the arm of the machine, of a spindle. supported by said arm, a coiled spring mounted on said spindle and having a radially extended end forming a spring take-up, and a rotatably adjustable plate mounted on said spindle and having a cut-out portion to receive the take-up, and also having a lateral extension radially beyond the path of movement of the end of said take-up and constituting a guard for the latter, and means for holding the said ad in stationary adjusted position.

5. In a sewing machine, the combination with the arm of the machine having an opening inone wall thereof, of. a rotatably adjustable disk supported adjacent to said opening at one side of'the wall. 'a shouldered disk and its opposite end extended'radially relative to its coil to provide a spring takeup, a plate supported on said spindle at that justable plate 6. In a sewing machine, thecombination,

with the 'arm of the machine having an opening in one wallthereof, of a rotatably adjustable disk supported adjacent to said opening at-the' inner side of the wall, a shouldered spindle extending through said opening, a screw connectin one end of said spindle with the'said adjustable disk, a

coiled spring mounted on said spindle with one end connected with the saidadjustable disk and its oppositeend extended radially relative to its coil to provide a spring takeup, a tension plate supported on said spindle at that side of the wall opposite the said disk and being engaged at its face side by the shoulder of the said spindle, a second tension-plate mounted on the spindle and engaging with the said first mentioned tension plate, and means for holding said tension plates in operative engagement.

In a sewing machine, thecombination with the arm of the machine having an opening in one wall thereof, of a rotatably adjustable disk supported adjacent to one end of said opening at the inner side of the wall, a shouldered spindle extending through said opening, a screw connecting the inner endof said spindle with the said adjustable disk, a'coiled spring mounted on said spindle with one end connected with the said adjust,- able disk and its opposite end extended radially therefrom to provide a spring take-up, a tension plate supported on said spindle at the outer side ofthe wall and having a lateral extension radially beyond the path of movement of the end of the take-up and constituting a guard for. the latter, the said plate being engaged at its face side by the shoal-- der of the said spindle, a second tensionplate mountedon the spindle and engaging with the said first-mentioned tension plate,

and means for holding said tension plates in operative engagement.

Signed at New York in the county of New York and State of New York this 13th day of May D. 1905.

Witnesses CHAS. F. DANE, E. M. FAITH. 

